YOU Is Blowing Up on Netflix! What's Next for the '40 Million' Viewer Hit?

TVLine — Andy Swift

All eyes are on YOU. The not-so-romantic thriller, which enjoyed a modest following during its one-season run on Lifetime, has become a bonafide hit since transitioning to Netflix, where production has already begun on the show’s second season.

First-time viewers are suddenly flooding social media with their thoughts, sparking fresh debate about whether it’s OK to be attracted to leading man Joe Goldberg (played by Gossip Girl‘s Penn Badgley) despite him being a murderous stalker. Even Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown recently came to Joe’s defense, declaring in an Instagram story that he’s “not creepy, he’s in love with her and it’s OK.” After completing the first season, however, Brown changed her tune, admitting that she “gathered an analysis too quickly … and he most definitely is a stalker.”

But even if some of the buzz around YOU is problematic, at least the buzz exists, which wasn’t exactly the case when it began airing on Lifetime in Sept. 2018. According to a tweet from Netflix on Thursday, the show is “on track to be viewed by more than 40 million members in its first four weeks on Netflix,” though the streaming service is declining to clarify exactly what those projected numbers mean.

If you count yourself among those alleged subscribers, you’re probably wondering what the future holds for Joe. Here’s what we know: YOU Season 2 will be based on Hidden Bodies, the second book in Caroline Kepnes’ series, which relocates Joe to Los Angeles for more family-friendly shenanigans. (Spoiler alert: He’s going to be miserable.)

“New York was instrumental in telling [Joe and Beck’s] particular love story — and whenever I say ‘love story,’ it’s a little bit in quotes, of course,” showrunner Sera Gamble tells TVLine. “There’s a very particular romantic feeling that comes with being in New York as a young person, especially without a lot of money. You’re young, free, you’re struggling and you’re trying to find a kindred spirit. Los Angeles is a completely different vibe. I’ve lived here since I was 16, and one of the classic truisms about living in LA is that you’re surrounded by former New Yorkers who f–ing hate it here. So we started the writers’ room for Season 2 by being like, ‘Joe moves to LA and he completely hates it. Let’s talk about how much fun that is.'”

For those who have read Kepnes’ books, Gamble acknowledges that all of the changes she made in Season 1 — including the return of Joe’s ex-girlfriend Candace, which was a show-specific twist — will have ripple effects as Joe’s story progresses. As she puts it, “We’re servicing slightly different masters than the second book did in some cases.”

What’s your relationship with YOU? Did you watch it on Lifetime, or are you among those just discovering it on Netflix? Drop a comment with your thoughts on the twisted hit, including what you hope to see in Season 2.